“A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be.” ~Abraham Maslow

Tomorrow I board the train at 7am (!) to Santa Barbara for my Summer Yoga Retreat! It will be a weekend of yoga, meditation, journaling, hiking, gourmet vegetarian food, hot tub and natural pools, practicing silence in the mornings, awesome people, and much more. I have a total of 20 people going, which is great for the first time at this venue.
All the planning and preparing is over and now it’s time to enjoy myself and try to give my students the most incredible experience of their summer. I’m super excited! And what’s even better?? My hubby comes home in less than a week. Oh yes. And the 500 hour Advanced Yoga Training begins the very next day. Not enough?? Well we have Vegas the following weekend and then the Playboy Mansion the weekend after. Oh, and then a quick little getaway with K to San Fran. Whew. I have a full dance card and I am ready to put my party dress on.

Which brings me to the topic of health and well-being. I know, Whomp, whomp. Kind of a boring topic after I mentioned yoga retreat, Kaleo, Vegas and Playboy Mansion in the same paragraph. But just hear me out.

If you pay attention to yourself and are able to recognize how the daily choices you make affect your overall health, you know what you should/shouldn’t do in order to feel like your optimal self. Most of us, when feeling stressed or time constrained, revert to things that are comforting but ultimately not good for us. It’s so easy to grab some bad food when you don’t have the time to cook, or stay home and watch TV on the couch because your day has been so hectic instead of getting some form of exercise. And when you make those choices, how easy is it to say, well I’ve already (ate crappy, drank too much wine, fallen off my workout plan, etc), and blew it, so why bother now…? I know, me too!
But this is the most important time to stop, think about what makes you feel good (physically good, not emotionally satisfying for the time being), and create your own little go-to program of healthy choices that you can easily implement in a time of stress, busy life, travel, anytime when you feel like your routine has been altered beyond your control.

So, my go-to program for my busy-like-Whoa schedule for the next month is going to be something like:

1. Always have healthy (preferably protein) snacks on hand for those times when my meal option might be a chain restaurant or late night food that I will regret in the morning. Snacks like hard boiled eggs, protein bars, nuts, seaweed snacks, etc. The protein will sustain and satisfy you for a longer time than, say, a bag of chips.

2. Do some form of exercise NO MATTER WHAT (even if you had a late night). A ten minute yoga practice in the hotel room, a brisk walk for 45 minutes, some squats and abdominal crunches, whatever makes you feel like you’ve gotten some sort of workout in. If you can do an entire workout/yoga practice/run? Awesome! But if you don’t have the time? Do not let that discourage you from doing just a little bit. Yes, it’s good for you physically, but emotionally? Even better. You will feel great.

3. Hydrate. I can’t express this enough. Bring your water bottle with you everywhere and keep refilling. I keep mine in my purse and probably drink 4-5 refills a day.

4. If you are really exhausted, honor that. Just chill. It’s ok to say no once in a while and just do nothing. Of course, after you have eaten healthy, exercised, and hydrated. Just kidding. If you need to rest, DO IT. But seriously, drink water.

5. And take care of yourself in other ways too. Take a little time for yourself to read in the bath for 10 minutes, or style your hair how you love it, or wear those favorite shoes that make your legs look fabulous. And I always put a flower in my hair, and wear my favorite essential oils. It’s the little things that make me feel put together, relaxed, and me, even in the middle of a chaotic schedule.

Speaking of chaotic schedules, I must get some sleep before my much too early train ride to SB in the morning. Good thing the station is a 3 block walk from my house. 🙂
Have a beautiful weekend and be good to yourself. Love all that you are.

Peace,M

Currently…
Eating: raw cashews and organic blueberries
Grateful for: dad’s surgery went well on TuesdayMaking: Jewelry! (and a mess)
Playing on my guitar: ‘All I want is you’ performed by Tristan Prettyman (original by Barry Louis Pollisar)

9 thoughts on ““A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be.” ~Abraham Maslow”

So relieved to hear about your day. Thank God and sweet baby Jesus in his sweet little manger. I just got home. Phew. That was a long vacation I tell you but someone had to do it. I’m going to astral project every morning to Santa Barbara this weekend. I should of given you directions to the little piggie house in Montecito! angora coming next Thursday for midsummers at hefs. Maybe we can come down for a day?? And then woop woop- V-E-G-A-S!!! Missed you mucho. Xoxoxo

So glad you enjoyed the post! It’s so important to not give up on the positive momentum that you create by making the right choices. Even just a few things in the right direction change make a huge difference in how you feel. xoxo

Hi Margarita! Nice to see you in my neck of the woods. 🙂 As much as I travel and try to be good, it’s hard to live the yogi life of a rockers wife and still be on top of my routine… But that is what makes it a fun challenge. Thanks for your amazing blog, it’s a wonderful read. xoxo

Just wanted to wish you a wonderful trip to SF, my stomping grounds! Wish I was there to give you some tips, but I’m off to Bali in – eek! – 4 hours. The trip I told you about 9 months ago is actually beginning!!